How Heroes Die
by stayfrostyramirez
Summary: The gang is hired to take down Eggman. They discover something deeper along the way. Betrayal. Character death. Venegence. Sonamy, Taiream, Knuxouge.
1. The Offer

An idea I just thought of, hope it works out. I own nothing.

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Chapter 1: The Offer

It was a calm and sunny day on Angel Island. At the alter of the Master Emerald, Knuckles was laying down by his precious stone resting in the glorious sunlight. It was just one of those days where doing nothing didn't seem that bad for the red echidna. It wasn't until he heard somebody rushing through the trees on his island that he got out of his relaxed state.

"_Sonic" _he thought. Just as the thought crossed him, the blue blur was standing before him.

"Hiya Knuckles!" said Sonic as he walked up the steps to the emerald shrine.

"What do you want, Blue Buffoon?" asked Knuckles, staring Sonic down.

"The President has a proposition for us at his office," he explained "and wants everyone to come."

"Everyone?" inquired the guardian.

"Ya, me, you, Amy, Tails, Shadow and Rouge." Knuckles winced as Sonic put some emphasis on the last name.

"What is this meeting about?" wondered Knuckles.

"I dunno, I think it probably has something to do with Eggman though, he has a lot of power now."

Knuckles reflected on that last thought. Eggman now had moved on from Station Square, and now took over another country successfully without force. The people there welcomed him as their liberator from their old government. He now has infinite resources of metal, oil and most importantly of all: manpower. Not only does he have his robotic empire, but an army of men to back it up. Eggman had a military stranglehold on the planet. Nobody knows when he will act, but it's about time somebody did something.

After a long pause, Sonic finally broke the silence.

"Are you in buddy?" asked the hedgehog.

"Yes, I will come to the meeting."

"Good, meet at his office in an hour." said the Blue Blur as he sped off.

Knuckles now had a system for guarding his emerald whenever he leaves his island. He attaches some jumper cables to a high voltage battery (which Eggman left after a battle a while back) and the emerald. Then, as he is about to leave, he takes a remote control that activates some pressure mines (again, left by Eggman) which surrounds the Master Emerald for about 50 feet. He can deactivate them with that same remote control when he gets back. It is a good system, and Knuckles is proud of how Tails set it up. That kid is a genius.

Knuckles activated his mines and sprinted towards the edge of his island. He jumped off and glided all the way to his destination.

_At the president's office_

Everyone arrived, and took a seat in front of the president's desk. There was some hushed chatter between everyone there.

"Alright everyone quiet down lets get this show on the road," said the president "As you may all know, the nation Eggman controls is growing in power and is also expanding. His expansion may be overseas, but that doesn't mean it's not our problem. We are taking him down, as he is a threat to our nation and will not hesitate to take us down as well. Any questions?" asked the president.

Shadow raised his hand and asked "Why do you need us?"

"Ah, good question. You see, we have an army of our own, but they lack the physical strength to walk into Eggman's base in his capitol to terminate his operations there. So you guys will spearhead this invasion. Anyone else?" Nobody raised their hands. "Good, you are all going to basic training in a minute."

"WHAT?" everyone exclaimed as a bus pulled outside the office door.

"Good luck!" Said the president.

"Dammit!" Was all Sonic could say before security guards pushed him towards the bus.

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Good? Bad? R&R, I can't guarantee when the next update will be, but I will finish this story.


	2. Basic

Chapter 2: Basic

The newly recruited soldiers arrived at the training camp the same night and went to bed right when they got there. They all shared common barracks with enough beds for everyone, and private changing rooms. At 6:00 AM, they all were awoken by a loud siren at their camp.

"Shit, morning already?" Sonic said yawning.

"Can it faker, we have a message!" Yelled Shadow pointing towards a piece of paper taped to the door of their barracks. Amy read it out loud.

"It says to meet our drill sergeant out in the briefing room at 6:15" Everybody groaned and got dressed before heading out to the what they presumed was the briefing room. In the room was a wolverine, who was in his military outfit, looking eager to see his new comrades. He gestured for all of them to sit down.

"Good morning, I am Sergeant Hunter. Welcome to camp Chaos. I will guide you on your mission to take down Eggman and his empire. Now, before we start our mission, you must all get trained to do your jobs and know your equipment. Since you guys are already the best at hand to hand combat, all we need to teach you is how to use firearms." Explained their new leader. Shadow jumped a little bit when Sgt. Hunter said firearms.

"Now first off, everybody gets standard combat uniforms. With it is pants, boots, socks, a shirt and a jacket. You will also have a bulletproof vest and a Kevlar helmet, with goggles to protect your eyes. A tactical vest is also included, which will hold ammunition, grenades and a sidearm. A backpack with essential supplies such as a food kit and canteen are also provided. You will all receive your primary weapons based on compatibility. Now suit up, your gear is hanging on the shelves behind me. Leave the backpacks." Ordered Sgt Hunter.

Nobody had any difficulty putting on their gear, as the government had tailored their suits perfectly. They all felt somewhat violated, however because they didn't know how the government knew their sizes. They finished and sat back down in front of the Sergeant so he could hand out their guns.

"Alright, first up for their guns is Amy, you get a shotgun, the Armsel Striker shotgun. It has a powerful blast and is a force to be reckoned with."

"Cool, perfect for me!" Exclaimed Amy.

"Next up is Shadow, you get a light machine gun. Your gun is the M249 SAW, a high damage high rpm machine gun."

"The ultimate gun for the ultimate life form!" said the ebony hedgehog.

"Good, our next contender is Sonic! You get a FN SCAR, a powerful assault rifle, speedy and strong."

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Cheered Sonic.

"Ah, Knuckles. You get to be a sniper, so here is your gun, the Springfield M21. Long range and hard hitting."

"Hell ya! Bring it on!" the excited echidna said grabbing his gun.

"Now, Rouge you get the HK MP5 submachine gun. Quick and stealthy."

"You're talking my language now, sir!" Exclaimed the sly bat.

"Finally, Tails. For the most part you will be driving our war machines. But since we are all going into infantry fighting situations, you also need a primary weapon. You get the Armalite M4 Carbine. Light and small, perfectly suited for your needs."

"Awesome! What gun will you have though, sir?" Asked the curious fox.

"I will also take an M4, I will be you co-pilot in the vehicles so I also need the light guns." Explained their commander. "As for your sidearms, we will all carry the Beretta M9. Now, we will be in this camp for 3 months. In these months we will practise the firing of our weapons, the use of them, tactics, the usage of our vehicles and the overall battle plan. We will be prepared for this invasion, and we will come out as the best damn soldiers in the world. Hoora!"

"Hoora!" Yelled the six soldiers.

_3 months later_

After 3 months of hard work, everybody was ready. Tails could drive any vehicle anywhere, and was a capable shooter. Sonic could cause havoc at any range with his SCAR. Amy and Rouge became dangerous in close quarter combat, while Shadow could provide fire support from anywhere. Knuckles had become an avid marksman with a talent.

Their personal lives changed over the course of those 3 months too. Sonic finally decided to accept Amy a little more, and promised to go on a date with her after the war was over. Knuckles and Rouge stopped being at each other's throats, but still weren't able to admit they liked each other. Shadow stopped putting himself on a higher level, but was still a little bit cocky about being the ultimate life form. The day before the invasion, they were allowed a few hours to get their affairs in order. Knuckles and Rouge said goodbye to their gems, Sonic and Amy went out for some coffee, and Tails went to see Cream.

Tails walked up to her door and rang the bell. Cream answered it, and as soon as she saw Tails, she wrapped him up in a hug.

"Tails, where have you been all this time? I was worried sick about you!" She questioned.

"I was at basic training, I'm going to war, Cream." He answered.

"But you are too young! What if you get hurt! I can't live my life without you Tails!" Cream started to cry.

"Cream, I promise you I won't get hurt. I will come back for you."

"I'm just so worried about you."

"Don't fret, you won't lose me." Cream ran up to her room, crying after he said that. Just as Tails was about to leave, Cream came back down. She handed him a picture of her.

"What is this, Cream?" He questioned.

"Keep that in your helmet. Don't forget me when you are there, because I won't forget you."

"Thank you Cream, I will always remember you." Tails left Cream's house crying. He was going to hell tomorrow, and he might not come back. As he boarded the ship to leave to the war, he thought of Cream and how devastated she would be if he was gone.


	3. The Highway to Hell

Ages:

Shadow:??? 50 or so

Knuckles: 19

Sonic: 16

Tails: 14

Amy:15

Cream:12

Rouge:19

Chapter 3: The Highway to Hell

_Knuckles' POV_

Shit. I have never felt this bad about going on an adventure ever. Our 3 day trek across the ocean was hellish enough, with the crap food, 4 hour mission briefings and the worst weather I have ever seen in a while. But this isn't the worst of it by far. I am going to die. I'm gonna freaking die. Taking a chopper into the heart of Eggman's empire was hard enough. If I survive that, how will I survive the combat? What is my strength compared to lead coming at me at a high velocity? Nothing that's what. Another element is human beings. I is easy enough fighting predictable, mindless robots but a human? Can I even live with killing somebody? This is going to be hell, and I am on the highway to it. Crap, there is no hope or me, I am done. I just hope nobody else gets hurt, especially Rouge. I know we had a rough start, but now that we've stopped arguing for the most part, she actually seems... nice. I hope nothing happens to her in this god-awful mess.

_Rouge's POV_

Well, this is it. I am destined to die. I never thought it would end like this. Being almost forced to go to the slaughterhouse known as the Eggman empire. What do I have to show for my life though? Nothing, nothing at all. A handful of stolen jewels and a short-lived spying career. Perfect. There is a slim chance I will survive, but then what? I have no idea. I can't help but wonder why everybody else is here though. Shadow and I both have experience with G.U.N., but the rest of the soldiers with me have no reason to be here. Especially Knucklehead. He should be guarding the one thing I could not steal, but somehow he is here too. What will happen if he dies? What about his emerald? Oh, god what about me? I don't think I can live without him around. Since we have finally started being on good terms, I have started to like him more. No, I can't think about that. I just can't.

_Sonic's POV_

Son of a bitch. I always thought I would die because I ran into something, or that I would die choking on chili dogs. I am screwed. Well, I just gotta get over this. I have faced death before, and I will face it again, if I live to see it. I just gotta stop thinking about myself. Knuckles, Rouge and Shadow can handle themselves. They are suited for this shit. I'm concerned about Tails though. He is too young for this, why is he here? He may be a good pilot and engineer, but that's no excuse to have a 14 year old in the armed forces. Oh crap, what about Amy? She may be a good fighter, but I don't know if she can live through this hell. I cannot go on if she dies or gets hurt here. Man, this is fucked up.

_Amy's POV_

Great. Death is around the corner for all of us. I can't believe this. I Amy Rose, am going to war. Not just a war against some melee-type robots, but humans. Who have guns. I never thought this was going to happen. I can't believe Sonic though. My life will never be complete if he dies. Oh my god, it's just sinking in, Sonic might die! What will I do if he does? No, I refuse to think that. I won't believe it.

_Shadow's POV_

Hmph. We're all going off to war. Most of us have accepted we are dead men/women. This is the first step in being a soldier. Accepting that you are here to die, and you may get lucky and survive, but you can't get your hopes up. I have accepted this fact long ago. My death on the battlefield is inevitable. But for some reason, this hasn't sunk in for Tails. I pity him, being too naïve and young to accept the fate that we have all been handed.

_Tails' POV_

Ok, I have to stay cool. This will be just like old times, right? Taking down Eggman, and then walking home afterward to our normal lives, right? I know I will go home and see Cream again, and maybe we will all have a party to celebrate. I just hope this works out.

_Normal POV_

At the crack of dawn on their fourth and final day on their ship, the six soldiers got into their combat uniforms, ready to meet Sgt. Hunter on the helipad. They were to be inserted in the outskirts of the capitol, where they would then make their way towards Eggman's headquarters. The invasion of the country itself had already been going on for the 3 months that they were in training, and it softened the defences of the capitol and the rest of the country. Back on the helipad, the soldiers were getting ready.

Tails and Hunter both took the cockpit, Knuckles and Shadow both took the chain-gun positions on the sides of the heli, while Amy, Sonic and Rouge were spotting. Their chopper took off.

About an hour into the flight, they saw the city. The troop would first secure the part of the city furthest from Eggman, and would then clear their way to the base. Right off the bat they encountered resistance.

"Soften up their troops on the ground first! Open fire!" Commanded the Sergeant.

Knuckles and Shadow unloaded their chain guns on the city, tearing apart everything. It was a brutal scene of carnage, leaving nothing but mangled flesh and metal. Tails dodged the enemy fire skillfully, until Knuckles and Shadow ran out of ammunition.

"We're out!" Knuckles shouted.

"Shit! Everybody, incoming Stinger missile! Those things never miss!" Yelled a scared blue hedgehog.

"Not if I can help it!" Screamed Tails as he tried to pull off. He wasn't quick enough though. The missile struck the helicopter on the tail rotor. The explosion caused the chopper to spin out of control!

"MAYDAY! MAYDAY! WE ARE GOING DOWN! REPEAT WE ARE GOING DOWN!" Screamed Hunter into the radio until he was cut off by the helicopter smashing into the ground.


	4. Stuck

Sorry for not updating in a while, I got delayed badly.

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Chapter 4: Stuck

The helicopter slammed into the ground, on a street to be more precise and skidded into a building. Hard. The rotors broke off as soon as the heli hit the ground and were sent flying hundreds of feet in the air. The front of the cockpit was smashed in by a steel beam in the building. On the sides of the helicopter, the chain guns were ripped out of hulk and became a tangled mess on the floor. Their users were unconscious beside them, Shadow being partially underneath some of the wreckage. Small flames covered the totalled chopper, but as far as anyone could tell, the gas tank hadn't ruptured, so an explosion was out of the question. Inside the body of the helicopter, two hedgehogs arose, concussed, but beyond that good to go.

"Oh shit, what the h-" Sonic puked as he utter those lines. "Fuck!"

"Are you OK?" Asked Amy.

"Yeah just dizzy, is anyone else alive?" Countered Sonic.

"Yeah I am," pointed out Rouge, "I'm pretty sure Knuckles and Shadow are just unconscious."

"Let's get out of this wreck," said Amy. "I'll grab some equipment, you two drag away Shadow and Knux." Ordered Amy. Sonic dragged Shadow and Rouge took Knuckles, but as soon as she grabbed him he came to.

"What the hell happened?" Asked the confused echidna.

"We crashed we are evacuating our heli." Answered Rouge.

"I'll help," suggested Knuckles, "is Tails still in there?"

"Yeah – oh shit! We gotta get him out of there! Same with Hunter!" Exclaimed Sonic. Knuckles went up to the cockpit, smashed in the window, and grabbed Tails from his seat. He was unconscious. That's when Knuckles noticed the steel beam in the place where Sgt. Hunter should have been.

"Guys, Hunter's dead. We can save Tails, but Sarge is for sure dead."

"Crap, now what do we do?" asked Amy.

"We recover first, I think we should stay in this building and hold out until we recuperate. Then we can use the radio to see what command wants." suggested the guardian. "Let's go to a middle floor in this building. We can see the entire road, and also stay covered from the air. We need to take shifts too. Two people work the radio and tend to the wounded, the other two watch the road."

"Good idea Knux. How did you come up with all that?" Questioned Rouge, slightly impressed by his tactics.

"I just make this up as I go along, and hope it works."

"Well keep it up knucklehead"

So everybody unloaded the chopper. They took the medkits, radios, everybody's equipment and a week's worth of food and water. The soldiers got to the 12th floor and set up camp there. They laid Tails and Shadow down on some blankets and checked their vital signs. The two were breathing, and had pulse, which was good. Sonic called command, and command told them to stay put until a front could be made at the city. Knuckles put on a ghillie suit and aimed his rifle outside the window, waiting on some intruders. It was then when he saw some of the city. The buildings were just shells, most now rubble, as small fires were raging everywhere. The bombardment of 3 months had really taken it's toll on the city. Rouge noted this too, and kept her eyes on the road with Knuckles.

"We've got an enemy patrol coming dangerously close to our building. Let's take them out. Put on a suppressor." Ordered Knuckles. There was a five man patrol a hundred feet away, snooping around the perimeter of their building. Knuckles and Rouge took aim.

"On three. One, two, three!"

Knuckles picked off the man behind the others with a head shot. Then the guy in front of him. Rouge emptied her clip into the other three.

"Holy shit!" Knuckles just stood by the window stunned. He just killed two people. Hadn't he stood against killing? Hadn't everyone? Killing a mindless robot was nothing but a person? _"I just ended two peoples' lives. And nobody gives a flying fuck" _Thought Knuckles over and over until he convinced himself that killing two people for the good of the world was a good thing. Was it for the good of the world though? "What the fuck are we doing?" he thought out loud.

"I have no idea, this is fucked." replied Rouge.

It was silent for a bit Tails broke the silence by coming to.

"AAHH SWEET JESUS NO!" He yelled writhing on the floor. Sonic kneeled beside him.

"Calm down Tails you just got up" he calmly said to reassure the shaky fox.

"I had a dream where we were sent off to war and I crashed a helicopter."

"It's all real Tails, you just passed out from shock or something, Sarge is dead." Amy said, jumping into the conversation.

Tails puked. "Oh my god this isn't happening. This can't be happening!"

It took hours for Tails to get a grip. While Sonic and Amy tried to calm him down, Knuckles and Rouge kept watch on the road, in case anybody found the missing patrol group. Shadow stayed unconscious. It was amazing how he was alive seeing that part of the heli collapsed on him. As night fell, Amy and Sonic shifted with Knuckles and Rouge for watching the road. Being up all day took a toll on them. Knuckles made himself comfy where Shadow the radio were. Rouge decided to sit beside him. He was mumbling something, and if you looked into his eyes you could see a kind of deadness.

She broke the silence between them "Hey Knuckles?"

"Yeah?"

"What are you thinking about?" She asked.

"How fucked up this is. I used to stand for not killing any creature, no matter who. But now I stand for nothing. I killed people. They used to call me a hero, but now after this I can't call myself that anymore. I'm a murderer" He answered.

"Wow Knuckles that's deep. I agree with you. Even though I was nothing before, I feel that now I'm just a cold hearted killer."

"Well, it's not a complete loss. Hell, we're getting along now. If I can pull just one good thing like that out of this god-awful mess, then maybe I can be happy later in my life."

"Ya it's nice to finally get along with you. I used to think you were such an asshole until you started being nice to me."

"And I used to think were just a selfish thief until I saw you could change. You know what? We should just start over after this. I'll take you out or something"

"I would love that Knuckles. Oh and I never thanked you for saving my life on ARK. I owe you."

"You owe me nothing. Consider it an act of kindness."

"Well thanks anyways."

Getting along was kind of a new experience for them, and they didn't get why they were being so open to each other. Maybe they finally cracked.

They both sighed and tried to fall asleep, thinking about eachother.

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Ugh, I hated that chapter. Oh well, just R&R please, and you can help me help you make this story more enjoyable. For some reason everybody's puking now too.


	5. Hell Emerald

It's been a while, I'm kinda having writer's block.

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Chapter 5: Hell Emerald

Knuckles awoke the next morning to the sound of cackling static. He could tell it must ave been mid-day, because he could feel the sun's rays on his eyelids. Not opening his eyes, he listened to the transmission.

"Command to Sonic Team, come in Sonic Team" buzzed the radio.

"Sonic Team copies what are the orders, Command?" Asked a voice that Knuckles figured was Shadow's. "_Good, he's finally come to_" thought the echidna.

"We have a path cleared to your position. We will be sending in a tank which will take you to the heart of the Eggman Empire. Deployment will be arrive in 30 minutes." Ordered command.

"Roger, Sonic Team out." Responded Shadow. "Alright everyone! Wakey, wakey! Today's forecast is cloudy with a chance of shitstorms". Sonic and Amy got up from the window, which they should have been keeping watch over. Tails got up from a corner in the room. Knuckles opened is eyes and finally realized the position he was in. Rouge fell asleep in his arms, and he jolted a little bit when he saw this. Shadow looked at the scene and smirked.

"I'll punch that smirk off your face, you dick!" Was all Knuckles could say in this situation. Rouge got up and looked at Knuckles. Both looked away and blushed.

"Alright everybody! Let's stop laughing at Knuckles and Rouge," Shadow said while everybody else snickered, "and get down to business. We have a tank coming, and it is going to take us to Eggman's fortress. Tails and I will pilot the tank, and I want Sonic and Amy to operate the 120mm gun. Knuckles and Rouge, you two need to work the 50 cal. Are we all clear on our duties?"

"Hooah" everyone replied. Apparently Shadow is in charge now.

They saw the tank arrive in front of their building. Shadow, Sonic and Amy sprinted down the stairs to the tank, while Knuckles, Tails and Rouge jumped out the window and glided down to their new ride. There in front of them was a M1 Abrams tank, complete with a 50 calibre machine gun. Painted on it was a red emerald on fire, with the words Hell Emerald printed across.

"I like this. And it's all ours?" Asked Knuckles to a soldier who brought them their tank.

"Yep, now hop in, because you're taking Eggman's base by the end of tonight.

"Sounds good" said Sonic. They all got into their positions and drove to the heart of the Eggman Empire.

"Alright everyone, let's get out of here, this town's gonna be gone by tonight." Shouted the commander Knuckles talked to at his troops.

The run to Eggman's fortress was simple, it was merely driving through the wreckage of the town for hours until they came within a few miles of the base.

"T-72, 30 degrees north. Target acquired." Amy said to sonic peering through the sight of their gun.

"FIRE!" Yelled Sonic as the canon went off. Amy saw the shell hit the turret of the T-72. It was no longer a tank, but a metallic fireball.

"Hit and kill, good shot. New targets acquired, continue firing Sonic." Amy said as Sonic reloaded the gun. Outside Knuckles prepared the 50 cal for the inevitable waves of infantry that will come. They came pouring down the hill which Eggman's base resided on. He opened fire with precise accuracy while Rouge fed the ammo. The carnage continued until they approached the battlefield of mangled metal and flesh they created. There was silence as they advanced closer to Eggman's base.

"Move up slow Tails, we need to keep cover." Said Shadow. Once they came closer, some pits became visible. They came closer to investigate until numerous flashes.

"Mortars!" Yelled Shadow "Tails! Evasive manoeuvres!" Tails swerved the tank back and forth to avoid the mortar shells.

"Guys there's an MG nest over there!" Yelled Rouge to Amy and Sonic. As Rouge ducked to tell them, bullets rained down on her turret position, hitting the plates around the gun. Knuckles took one to the chest and was knocked off of the turret and onto the back of the tank.

"Knuckles!" Yelled Rouge as she watched the whole thing. "YOU BASTARDS!" She got onto gun and sprayed around until the MG nest and it's occupants were riddled with holes and the barrel melted down. Sonic kept firing the 120 mm like a madman at the mortar and MG positions. They were within a hundred meters of the base now. Rouge climbed off the turret to Knuckles, expecting the worst. He was rolling around clutching his chest. He was alive!

"Ah, fuck! That hurts like a bitch! Son of a-" He was cut short by a bear hug from Rouge.

"Knux, thank god you're alive!"

"Yeah these vests are great, but they aren't hug proof Rouge, so can you let me go, I can't really breathe."

"Oh sorry. I-" She was interrupted by a violent shaking as the tank broke through the front gate to the base. The courtyard was deserted, the soldiers were likely inside the base. Except one man standing in front of the tank with an RPG-7 on his shoulder. The rocket fired and hit the 50 calibre machine gun. All the ammo exploded, sending Knuckles and Rouge flying off the tank as Tails and Shadow went full throttle and ran over the man.

"GET OUT! EVERYBODY GET THE FUCK OUT! THIS THING'S GONNA BLOW!" Yelled Shadow as they dove out the emergency escape.

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Cliffhanger! Please R&R, Flaming not necessary.


	6. The Gauntlet

Chapter 6: The Gauntlet

Sonic, Amy, Tails and Shadow quickly climbed out of the burning tank and got a safe distance away from the ticking time bomb that used to be their ride. Rouge got up and got beside them too. Knuckles' sleeve was lit on fire from the explosion, and was patting out the fire as he ran towards his comrades.

"Good to see we are all here. No let's take this base. Knux and I will cover you four as you guys walk to the door. We'll then come up there with you. Now, let's get moving!" Ordered Shadow as the Hell Emerald's gas tank ignited along with the ammo, creating a crater filled with scrap metal. As Tails, Sonic, Amy and Rouge advanced through the courtyard, the windows of the fort became active.

"MG's up there!" Yelled Sonic as he sprinted for cover. Shadow fired his machine gun to suppress those at the windows, while Knuckles picked of the men at the turrets. It kept going on like that until the men at the windows were gone. They all congregated at the door. Sonic tried to open it. It wouldn't budge.

"I got this," said Knuckles, "get ready! Fix your bayonets!" Knuckles easily punched down the door. Shadow fired a burst into the hall beyond the door. Rouge did too and so did Amy. Sonic sprinted behind a pillar in the hall.

"Clear!" He yelled as he checked all around him. He saw an injured man trying to crawl away. "Let's ask that guy where Eggman is." Shadow walked up to him and rolled him over onto his back.

"Where the hell is Eggman!" He yelled.

"He's not here! Leave this place!" The man replied.

"I really hate being lied to, you coward!" Shadow screamed at him as he kicked him in the stomach. "Now tell me where he is or my friend will use you as his new punching bag." He said gesturing towards Knuckles, who cracked his namesakes while Shadow went on.

"ALRIGHT! Alright, he is up on the roof of the fort, he's waiting for his chopper to extract him. Just don't make the echidna come over here." Said the man, cracking under the pressure.

"Let's get up there, we have no time to lose!" Said Tails. They rushed through the building, encountering little resistance as Amy and Rouge decimated the infantrymen at close quarters. They came up to the stairs leading to the roof.

"Alright, this is it. Do or die. Let's get the fat bastard." Said Sonic as he approached the door.

Knuckles punched through it, and Amy got through first. The first thing she saw was Eggman's surprised face as they all piled through. She shot at him. The blast for her Striker went right into his legs.

"AW GOD! OH SH-! AH!" Cried the wounded man.

"You're ours now, dirt-bag!" Amy yelled in victory. Tails and Sonic gave each other high-fives while Knuckles and Shadow scanned the horizon for the chopper. Knuckles stood at the edge of the roof which faced the town. Sheer cliff and then a series of high-rise buildings stretched out to the sea. The port of the city was visible too. And a black dot coming closer from that direction.

"Yeah, the chopper's on my side. We have a Mi-24 Hind incoming." Said Knuckles cooly taking aim at the pilot. Shadow came up by him to fire on the helicopter.

"Fire...Now!" Yelled Shadow. The heli was a hundred feet away, and Knux and Shadow tried to take out the pilot and copilot. Their bullets eventually broke the glass of the cockpit and the pilots met a hail of hot lead. The helicopter lost control and the pilot fell forward on the throttle. It was heading straight for Knuckles. Knuckles was knocked off the building as he dove out of the way of the falling chopper. It slammed into the roof with great force and sent shrapnel everywhere. On the side of the building, Knuckles was trying desperately to climb back up the concrete wall, but he was loosing his bearings because of all the debris falling on him. Knuckles then felt someone grab his wrist.


	7. All Clear

Chapter 7: All Clear

When the helicopter crashed on the roof, Shadow, Knuckles and Tails were in it's path. Shadow dove out of the way, Knuckles was thrown over the side and Tails was too shocked to move. The Mi-24 Hind slammed into the roof hard, the rotors breaking off as the nose hit the ground. It skidded across the roof and the nose struck the stunned Tails. He was knocked down hard. Shadow came over to tend to him.

"Tails! You okay? Are you injured?" Shadow asked. Tails was definitely not okay, he seemed out of his mind. It took ten seconds for it to hit him. He started to cry.

"I-I think I broke my ankle." He replied through his tears. It was immediately apparent the war had gotten to him.

"Okay, I'll tend to you hold on! Amy, make sure Eggman doesn't squirm away, Sonic you get command on the radio, we need extraction. Where the hell is Rouge?"

* * *

Knuckles stopped falling. With his free hand he wiped the debris out of his eyes. He saw Rouge holding his hand, clinging to a ledge in the concrete and using her wings to stabilize herself. He punched the concrete hard so he could get a grip to climb.

"Thanks a lot Rouge, I guess I owe you one now" he said, thankful for his life. He started to climb.

"We'll call it even, Knucklehead." She said, joining him in his climb. Knuckles got to the ledge and sat on it. He looked up and saw he slid down a hundred feet. It would be a long climb up.

* * *

"Command come in, command come in," Sonic said into the radio.

"Command copies what is your status?" The radio buzzed with static.

"We are clear here. Eggman's base is all clear." Sonic replied.

"Roger, clear for bombardment. Deployment ETA 120 seconds." The radio cackled.

"Wait, what? There's no bombardment, we need to be extracted, that's it." Sonic angrily replied.

"Command out, coms going down."

"NO! No, no, no, no! Cease fire! Cease fire! We are still Danger Close!" Sonic yelled, but his efforts were futile. "Guys, we gotta get the fuck out of here! They are going to bomb this place back to the stone age!"

"Where are we going to go?" Asked Amy.

"The port, the fleet is out there, it's our only shot." Suggested Shadow.

"What about Knuckles and Rouge?" Amy questioned.

"They can fend for themselves, if they are alive. We gotta go." Replied Shadow as he helped Tails up.

"Ouch, how am I supposed to run Shadow?" Asked Tails.

" Use your Tails. Let's go." He signalled to them urging them to go downstairs. Amy, Sonic, Tails then Shadow sprinted down the stairs. They were a few rooms away when Amy felt something collide with the side of her face. Sonic saw an enemy troop punch out Amy. He sprinted full speed at him and stabbed him with his bayonet. He looked at the person he just stabbed and saw his face – it was just a boy. He looked no older than twelve, he fell to the floor slowly. Sonic stared in shock at what he just did. Shadow pushed him along as they sprinted out of the building.

* * *

Knuckles and Rouge climbed over the side of the roof.

"Hey guys what did we miss?" Asked Rouge, and then she realized nobody was there.

* * *

Short chapter, plz don't kill me. Lot's of lingo I learned from MW2, lol. Just look it up I guess. Stay frosty.


	8. Tomahawks

Before we begin, I would like to point out that Eggman's empire is in the Middle East (Cliché, I know) and the rest of the gang are part of the US Army, and they live in the US. I own none of the characters, except Sgt. Hunter the Wolverine, but he is dead so...

* * *

Chapter 8: Tomahawks

_Where were they? _Knuckles thought as he scanned the roof for his comrades. The only thing he saw was Eggman, on the ground, bleeding and whimpering.

"Where is everyone, Egghead?" He asked harshly.

"Why should I tell you, you mutated hedgehog?" The doctor countered. That remark made Knuckles' blood pressure rise as he let out a growl.

"This is why!" Yelled Rouge as she kicked him in the chin. He spat out blood and several teeth. Knuckles followed Rouge's lead and punched him in the stomach.

"Where the fuck are they?" Screamed Knuckles. Eggman cracked.

"They are going to the port," he spat.

"Why would they be doing that?" Asked Rouge.

"Turn around and you'll see why," replied Eggman, after he spat out some more blood. Knuckles and Rouge turned around, and were stunned by the sight. There were what seemed to be shooting stars in the clear night sky. But these were nothing close to shooting stars. In the harbour, where the fleet was the stars were rising. Then it dawned on Knuckles and Rouge. Their shooting stars were Tomahawk cruise missiles. They started to rain down on the city the first few landing short of the base blowing debris into the air, which showered onto the base.

"Oh my god, let's get the hell out of here Rouge!" Yelled Knuckles, Rouge nodded in agreement. They were both about to jump off the building, when Knuckles felt something grab his leg. He looked down and saw Eggman pulling on his leg.

"Please, Knuckles! Bring e with you! Don't leave me here!" He begged as Knuckles and Rouge looked on with pity.

"Goodbye, doctor." Said Knuckles coldly. He shrugged off the pitiful man. He and Rouge jumped off the building and glided away as four Tomahawks came down onto the base. The updraft from the explosion lifted them hundreds of feet into the air as more missiles descended on the city.

* * *

Shadow, Sonic, Tails and Amy were well outside the base when the missiles hit. More came landing in front and behind them as they tried to stay in motion.

"Holy shit!" Yelled Sonic as a missile knocked down a building in front of them.

"Oh my g-" Amy screamed, but was interrupted by machine gun fire on their right. They scrambled for cover behind an abandoned Humvee. There were still pockets of resistance left in the city trying in a desperate attempt to take their enemies down with them.

"Dammit!" Yelled Shadow. "We need to keep moving, but stay covered. Tails, can you hot wire and drive a Humvee?"

"Yes," He replied through sobs, holding his inflamed ankle, "I can do it."

"Get in there, I'll cover you." Ordered Shadow as he jumped up behind the hood of the vehicle. She propped his M249 on the hood and fired some bullets in the general direction of the machine gun. After a minute of hard work, Tails got the car started. Amy hopped in and rode shotgun, Sonic got into the back and Shadow joined him after firing a few more rounds. They drove away as a missile came down upon the machine gunners who caused their trouble. As they drove through the city, their vehicle attracted the fire of a lot of soldiers who were still alive. Shadow rolled down the window and started to shoot people who fired at them. Sonic climbed up onto the chain gun as they raced through the cratered streets of Eggman's capitol they were in for a wild ride.

* * *

Knuckles and Rouge were gliding, descending to about rooftop level in what remained of the slums in the city. They were about halfway across the capitol, but the rest of their trek would have to be done on foot. Knuckles landed on the roof of a house first, then down came Rouge. They sprinted across the rooftops, jumping between the houses as the continuous rain of Tomahawks flattened other parts of the city. Some rifle fire from the ground was coming at them, but they dodged the bullets. But then the course of the missiles change. The Tomahawks started coming down upon the slums. People were running in all directions to avoid the raining onslaught. Knuckles was busy looking to the skies for incoming missiles, and didn't see a soldier on the ground tracking him withe his AK-47. He fired three shots, one hit him in the calf, one knocked his helmet off and the other missed completely. He was preparing to jump to the next rooftop, but fell off the roofs when he was hit. He fell ten feet and hit the ground hard. Rouge had made the jump but saw Knuckles fall between the houses. She turned around and saw Knuckles lying face up. What she didn't see was a Tomahawk coming down a couple buildings behind her. The blast knocked her forwards, and she slammed into the wall before falling down next to Knuckles. The last thing she saw was Knuckles trying to get up before blacking out.

* * *

It's been a while, but here is the update. R&R please. And FYI, though the war may be coming to a close, the story has just begun.


End file.
